E3 2004: DK Jungle Beat

Share.

The sleeper hit of the show? You better believe it. Hands-on (literally) impressions.

By IGN Staff

We weren't prepared for this, we really weren't. When Nintendo on Tuesday unveiled Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the second GameCube title to make use of the company's DK Bongo controller set, we figured it for a gimmick. After all, we've been playing the Japanese import of Donkey Konga for months and it's just a simple rhythm game, drums or no drums. But we couldn't be happier to report that not only is the DKJB not gimmicky -- it's downright amazing. Which is why it's already topping our list for one of Nintendo's best GameCube titles of the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2004.

On paper DK Jungle Beat reads like a bad idea gone haywire. The premise is all too simple. You control Donkey Kong through a series of tropical and prehistoric themed environments. You must make the big ape run left and right, jump over barrels and up walls, swing on trees, collect bananas, square off in ferocious up-close boxing matches with other beasts, and even ride atop animals and vehicles. The catch, of course, is that you don't use a GameCube controller to do all of this. You bang on some Bongos. We know -- it can never work. There are too many control mechanics to consider. And yet, it does work; in fact, the end play experience is nothing short of outstanding.

The DK Bongos do it all. You move Donkey Kong to the left and right by hammering on the left and right drums respectively. The faster you tap them, the faster the beast runs. Hit both drums at once and Kong will jump directly up and into the air. Clap your hands or tap the side of the Bongos and the ape will punch. Combinations also work. Tap-tap-tap the right drum and Kong runs to the right; when he's in motion you can bang the left drum once to make him jump into the air without losing momentum. It takes about a minute to get used to and then you're flying.

Five minutes in, you'll be able to do spectacular things with your ape (and we mean that in a completely non-sexual way, of course). New hurdles are born and so must new methods of play be executed. When Kong comes speeding to a wall, he can be made to jump to it with the tap of the Bongos and then he can hurl himself up between two structures, jumping to the left and to the right and going higher all the while, with careful timing of the left and right drums. Control works perfectly and feats such as these are very satisfying to dominate.

Kong is a mean simian and he's not afraid of a good fight. His muscled arms can be called upon to punch out at items, smash enemies, break through barriers and more by a simple clap. As we played the game, some of the other editors would stand behind us and clap at the appropriate times, which of course send Kong's arms out and punching. This play dynamic opens DK Jungle Beat up to a wide list of possible multiplayer scenarios.

Kong also gets into fights with boss characters. Here, the Bongos again do different things. In one of the there E3 2004 levels previewed, Kong squares off against another ape, the two of them going toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow. The camera pans in here to show off the extremely detailed character models, which are outfitted with crisp textures, realistic fur and fluid cartoony animation. The left and right drums cause DK to punch throw left-handed and right-handed punches at his foe. Meanwhile, tapping both drums together makes Kong dodge attacks from the enemy; the action slows and the view changes to reveal a bullet-time-like angle. Fights are all about timing and you have a number of options at your disposal. You can tap the drums as quickly as possible to throw out as many punches as possible, but this alone won't defeat the boss. You have to play smarter. You can counter punches by punching back at exactly the same time. If you correctly counter a couple of punches in a row you'll stun the ape enemy and then you can deliver a ferocious combo of left and right-handed jabs to him. Or, you can play defensively and wait for the enemy to throw a jab, dodge it by clapping and then go in for a brutal attack. The experience is surprisingly deep and refreshingly original.

Combos are the name of the game. As Kong travels through a level, you can link moves together for massive points. All sorts of maneuvers qualify for combos. Jump into the air, punch down some bananas, land against a wall and ricochet up it, grab onto a tree branch and spin upward, fly outward and onto a vine, and then come down on some enemies and punch them out -- it can all be one enormous, satisfying combo if you do it just right.

In another level, Kong rides atop a wildebeest as it races down an icy mountainside. An avalanche follows. The goal is to outrace the avalanche by tapping the right drum as quickly as possible. Your arm will feel the strain after the challenge is completed, but it's fun while it lasts. But the level is from over. A giant creature pops up and chases the ape some more. He has to sprint down the rest of the mountainside, jumping off ice ramps, crashing through bananas and ice obstacles, and more. At the end of the level, Kong must get as much speed as possible to launch himself off a huge ice ramp for a calculated soar distance score. We managed a number in the 250s and Nintendo's "F-Zero Master" Chris Campbell laughed at our short-lived success story; he said that earlier he had caused Kong to fly twice that distance.

If you've read this much, you must then know that Donkey Konga and DK Jungle Beat our two completely different games. So please note this too: as far as gameplay is concerned they may as well be from two different universes. The one predictable outcome that surrounded everybody who played DKJB is that they didn't want to stop playing it. Indeed, we have already gone back to the game numerous times to sample it again. And every so often an editor walks into our E3 writing room and says, "Hey, did anybody check out Donkey Kong Jungle Beat? I just played it and it's awesome!"

All of a sudden we cannot wait for the DK Bongos to arrive in the US. The wait for Jungle Beat, though, is going to seem like an eternity. According to Nintendo, the two-player-ready Bongo game is not set for release in the US until early 2005.